Trip West of Key West

[Michael Wick]

Two of us are planning to trailer a Marshcat to Key West in late February, store car and trailer, and sail West toward Dry Tortugas. She is well kitted out for boomtent camping. Any recommendations ? Mike Wick

[Garret]

That's a pretty good sail for a 15 footer - ~70 miles or so. I'd want to be very sure of weather before I left, but I'm used to bigger boats.

I presume you know there are no facilities (even water)? There's a # to call for campsite reservations - but you prolly know that too. I don't know their policy on overnight anchoring, but I do know there's no fishing allowed.

They are beautiful & great snorkeling/diving.

[Mike Vogdes]

I made that trip a few years ago out to the Fort aboard a 60' catamaran shuttle, the seas were very heavy and even standing was difficult, of course the big cat makes that trip routinely, but I remember thinking to myself, I'm glad I'm not out here on a small boat. When we arrived there were a few cruising sailboats there anchored up and bucking like wild horses.

[davebrown]

Let's hear from Whizbang. He's probably done it on the door of a spare truck camper sitting in his yard.

[Breakaway]

I have been to the Dry Tortugas several times, but not since the fishing ban. You have to bring everything, as Garret said, including water. It can be rough. I can also be tranquil. February is an iffy month, wind wise, in that region. WHen I used to go, we were aboard relatively large (32-foot) twin engine sportfish.

Kevin

[SBrookman]

I've been there a couple of times but always stayed on the boat so never had to deal with camping reservations. Great fort with lots of history. Got to finally see the Green Flash from on top of it! Good anchorage, but as said, nothing there for services or supplies. And lots of open water to get to it. February allows the fronts to come through, bringing some serious seas for any size boat.

[pefjr]

You really are brave. First, you picked the worst time of the year when fronts sweep through that Rebecca Channel and buck the current. The meanest chop I have ever seen was a 30 mile wide strip of 8/10'ers with straight up and down walls. You will not want to be there then, which means you can wait for a weather window at the Marquesas where the mosquitoes will eat you a new @ss O, and you will probably turn back to Key West. A lot safer trip might be the back country to the north of any of the middle keys and up to the Everglades. Nice fishing, snorkeling, and protected waters. Good luck. Take lots of Avon so soft for no-see-ums.

[KMacDonald]

This is the boat they plan to take:







What are they thinking?????????????

[Michael Wick]

Gulp, we will talk it over and make up our minds. Mike

[Dave_C]

This might be more fun and a bit safer;

Florida Bay Catboat Rendezvous Feb 18 - 19 2012


http://mylifeinthefloridakeysandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/12/upper-keys-sailing-club-is-sponsoring.html

[Michael Wick]

We plan to leave from Oceanside Marina and see how far we can go. Mike Wick

[boatbuddha]

Isn't Dry Tortugas in a no-discharge zone, so you have to have a holding tank for sanitation right?

[KMacDonald]

We are hoping biffy bags will meet the no-discharge requirement.

[KMacDonald]

Isn't Dry Tortugas in a no-discharge zone, so you have to have a holding tank for sanitation right?

No. The holding tank is only required on boats with a head.

[Breakaway]

Right. That's the same everywhere there's a no discharge zone. You may be in violation of public decency laws, but witnesses will be scarce where you're headed.

Kevin

[boatbuddha]

No. The holding tank is only required on boats with a head.

Good to know.

[Michael Wick]

We have made our plans and stocked up on food and safety items, including a SPOT transponder. We will bring along a back-up mainsail (at least in the truck). We plan to come back with copy and photographs to encourage other winterbound sailors.

[Willin']

Free advice... stow the outboard somewhere other than the transom. Consider getting some life insurance. The Gulf can get pretty hairy in the winter.

[davebrown]

I would anticipate some kind of measure, however feeble, against exposure and hypothermia in the event of capsize and separation from the boat. Forgive me if that is totally obvious and you are ten steps past that. From a guy who has done a bike tour from Bangkok to the Malaysia border and back, I'm all for adventure. This is going to be plenty of that.

[WI-Tom]

I for one will be eager to hear about your trip and see some pictures, I hope. It's exactly the kind of ambitious cruising that's appropriate for small boats if intelligent precautions are taken. You can't eliminate all risk, but you can do challenging things sanely.

If you haven't read Frank Dye's Norway and Iceland adventures, be sure to check them out. You can watch a film he made of one of his long dinghy voyages from the 60s (from the UK to Iceland voyage, I think) here:

http://www.uswayfarer.org/index.php?...d=20&Itemid=39

Take care, good luck, and let us know how it goes.

Tom

[KMacDonald]

Given favorable weather forecast we are also considering stopping by Cuba on the way back. Is it possible to legally enter Cuba if we dont engage in financial transaction?

[Willin']

Aw Christ, now you're reduced to typical attention whores! Why not buy a wingsuit?

[From Mystic]

Supposedly you can GO to Cuba but are not allowed to spend any money there.

They love American dollars there. Your cards will not work there so any money has to be brought with you.

Good Luck, FM

[Binnacle Bat]

A third set of reef points might be good & perhaps a storm trysail.

I presume you have done capsize drills in heavy conditions.

Have you done similarly ambitious trips in the past? I'm not familiar with the waters, but that's a long ways in not much boat, a lot further from civilization than I would go in an open boat that size.

Allan

[pefjr]

Do yourself an honest favor, stop by the KW Coast Guard office and run your plans past them. If they don't straight jacket you, have fun.

[John Bell]

If you haven't done a lot of open water in that boat yet, let me suggest something a little less ambitious. I have a friend who takes a couple of weeks every winter and goes down Everglades City in his little 14'er and sails down to Cape Sable and Flamingo and back. It's plenty wild and plenty dangerous, but with some good hidey holes along the route if the weather goes bad for a couple of days. Another idea would be to do the Gulf Islands National Seashore off of Mississippi. Petit Bois Island lies about 10 miles south of Pascagoula and from there you could go west with the prevailing SE'erlies to Ship and Cat Islands and back to Gulfport. This is a trip I have on my to-do list in the next year or so.

An open boat trip to the Dry Tortugas is on my bucket list, but I'm still to scared to try it just yet. Some day I will, but probably in different boat than what I have now.

[KMacDonald]

Thanks for all the helpful coments. I guess we will most likely skip Cuba this year. Hopefully in the future relations will improve between the two countries so we can enjoy the beautiful beaches Cuba has to offer.

Binnacle, there have been times when I wished I had a third reef point. I might have one added some time in the future but not for this trip. The boat is a cat boat and will be heavy with supplies and water so will be fairly docile even in heavy winds. The weather is very nice mid February and the winds average 12mph anywhere from the the north to east direction. Perfect sailing conditions. My biggest concern is getting weather forecasts once our handheld VHF's are out of range from Key West. We will spend some time in the Marqusas Keys before jumping over to the Dry Tortugas and a reliable forecast would be nice for timing the 50 mile crossing. Once in the Dry Tortugas we can get the weather report from the ferries running between Key West and the Dry Tortugas.

[pefjr]

Another idea would be to do the Gulf Islands National Seashore off of Mississippi. Petit Bois Island lies about 10 miles south of Pascagoula and from there you could go west with the prevailing SE'erlies to Ship and Cat Islands and back to Gulfport. This is a trip I have on my to-do list in the next year or so.

This is a great trip and safe. Beautiful islands with incredible wildlife. Be sure and take an oyster knife.

[KMacDonald]

I would anticipate some kind of measure, however feeble, against exposure and hypothermia in the event of capsize and separation from the boat. Forgive me if that is totally obvious and you are ten steps past that. From a guy who has done a bike tour from Bangkok to the Malaysia border and back, I'm all for adventure. This is going to be plenty of that.

Other than expecting temeratures in the low 80's and water temps in the mid 70's no provisions to prevent hypothermia in the unlikely event of a capsize have been made. After mid February it is rare for a cold front to extend down to the keys. I guess you could say we are not planning for the unexpected and that is fine with me.

[Garret]

Other than expecting temeratures in the low 80's and water temps in the mid 70's no provisions to prevent hypothermia in the unlikely event of a capsize have been made. After mid February it is rare for a cold front to extend down to the keys. I guess you could say we are not planning for the unexpected and that is fine with me.

3 hours in 70 degree water will chill your core temperature to the danger point. 8 hrs. could kill you.

[WI-Tom]

I guess you could say we are not planning for the unexpected and that is fine with me.

Well, as my signature line says, you don't have to be prepared as long as you're willing to suffer the consequences. But those consequences could be severe (life and death) in a trip like this. I'd want to be confident that I had a reasonable chance of rescuing myself from any problems that could occur. I find that I, and my loved ones, are much happier with that kind of thinking than "It probably won't happen so I don't have to be ready for it." You're probably right about it not happening--but only probably...

Tom

[John Bell]

Go ahead with the third reef before you go. Average is just that -- average. Problem is, it's never average. It's either blowing more or less. And sometimes it blows a LOT more.

[KMacDonald]

Go ahead with the third reef before you go. Average is just that -- average. Problem is, it's never average. It's either blowing more or less. And sometimes it blows a LOT more.

I have been watching the weather in the Dry Tortugas Nationl Park for the last month. The wind has exceeded 20 kts only twice in that time and then only by a few kts. Like I said earlier it is very rare for cold fronts and associated strong winds to dip that far south in mid to late February. We have plenty of time to choose our crossings and will rely heavily on the long term weather reports.

[Breakaway]

They love American dollars there.

Yeah they sure do: I've been there by boat three times and each time they picked our pockets almost clean as the price of entry. Keep a few hundred on hand and out. Bury the rest in the bilge somewhere.

Kevin

[Breakaway]

Last February air temps at key west ranged between 50 F and 80 F. Here's a c an p with a link. Look at "highest and lowest"

These data are preliminary and have not undergone final quality control by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Therefore, these data are subject to revision. Final and certified climate data can be accessed at the NCDC - http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov. Climatological Report (Monthly)


000 CXUS52 KEYW 010711 CLMEYW CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST, FL 202 AM EST TUE MAR 1 2011 ................................... ...THE KEY WEST CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2011... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1871 TO 2011 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL .................................................. .............. TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 87 02/25/1874 LOW 44 02/03/1917 02/14/1899 HIGHEST 80 02/28 80 02/23 02/27 02/26 LOWEST 58 02/13 50 02/27 02/12 AVG. MAXIMUM 76.2 75.9 0.3 69.8 AVG. MINIMUM 66.9 65.7 1.2 59.6 MEAN 71.5 70.8 0.7 64.9 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MAX <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MIN <= 32 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 7.19 1872

[landlocked sailor]

I knew this subject was familiar. Bob Burgess wrote about just such a trip in his Compac 16 and I have always thought about it. Rick

[KMacDonald]

This is where you can not only see the current wind speed and direction but also historical data. http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=sanf1

For reference: 1 meter per second = 2.23693629 miles per hour

[Breakaway]

Look, I wish you luck. And you have some cojones. And I hope you make it, make it safely and enjoy it. But: Mind if I ask a question? Suppose you are midway through the crossing and get a bad forecast, what is your plan?

I run out of sight of land a lot, and have done so for a lot of years. Northeast canyons, Florida to Bahamas, Tortugas, Cuba, the DR. Powerboats. For decades. And for all of that there have been times I've been aboard 50 footers with twin diesels, EPIRP, liferaft, satcom, etc and still wishing I was any place but out there. Just sayin.

Kevin

Kevin

[KMacDonald]

Suppose you are midway through the crossing and get a bad forecast, what is your plan?

Kevin

Kevin

We wont even leave the Marquesas without a good forecast. Its only a 10 or 12 hour sail to the Dry Tortugas from there.

[marshcat]

Good luck! I'll be interested to see your report when you get back. Seems like about the same risk level as crossing the Gulf Stream from Key Biscayne to Gun or Bimini - the right weather window means everything. What outboard is that?

[KMacDonald]

Seems like about the same risk level as crossing the Gulf Stream from Key Biscayne to Gun or Bimini - the right weather window means everything. What outboard is that?

That's exactly right. It is a 2 horsepower 4stroke Honda.

[John Boone]

I did a Tortugas trip a few years ago in December with a friend on his 33' cutter. We sailed from Boca Grande to the Tortugas and then on to Key West and back up the west coast of Florida to Boca Grande. I put together a thread about the trip on another sailing forum I frequent and have added the link here posted under my forum name of Whampoa -

http://www.anything-sailing.com/show...rtugas-Florida

The thread is photo heavy but you may find it of interest as you prepare for your trip. Weather and the resulting sea conditions will be your biggest challenges as there are few places to hide once you are west of the Marquesas. The sea conditions can and do change rapidly in response to fast moving weather systems. There is also a lot of water moving out there across the bars in the form of currents so study up on your charts.

Pick a good weather window to depart, be prepared to stay out there for several days if necessary to get a good window back, and have a good trip. The cautions mentioned by folks above bear your attention but the trip is doable assuming the boat and crew are up to the task.

Have a safe trip, don't push any bad positions and enjoy yourselves if you go. It will no doubt be memorable in such a small vessel.

Regards, John

[davebrown]

i am rooting for you.

[John Bell]

I wish you guys well. I think the trip is very doable, but please remember to be very flexible with regard to the weather. The forecast for this weekend for example shows N winds at 20-25 knots. That would be seriously No Fun.

I still say you need that third reef, however. Either that or a storm sail.

I hope to do this trip someday myself. Depending on the forecasts, I'd try to depart in the wee hours like 1 AM and get as far as I can before daylight and the breeze starts kicking and thunderstorms get a chance to pop up. Even if that means motoring for a couple of hours to get some distance.

This voyage isn't as crazy as this guy, BTW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJr7j...f=mfu_in_order

[orbb]

Do you guys have one of those SPOT locators? We could all track you.

[KMacDonald]

Mike has a SPOT he will be bringing. I dont know if he plans to post the link here or not. If not I think he could post the track after the trip. Any pirates in that area?

[pefjr]

Any pirates in that area?

No, but lots of blood suckers in the Marquesas.

[Michael Wick]

My SPOT is ready. The extra mainsail has three reefs and is smaller than the regular mainsail at 120 sq ft. We are experienced in Marshcats and in other small boats and know the difference between discomfort and danger. We have adequate supplies and good groundtackle. We have never said Key West to the Dry Tortugas, only toward. We have heard and absorbed lots of good advice.

[John Boone]

Have a great sail guys, whatever course you settle on.

Regards, John

[Mike Vogdes]

My SPOT is ready. The extra mainsail has three reefs and is smaller than the regular mainsail at 120 sq ft. We are experienced in Marshcats and in other small boats and know the difference between discomfort and danger. We have adequate supplies and good groundtackle. We have never said Key West to the Dry Tortugas, only toward. We have heard and absorbed lots of good advice.

You guys sound like you know whats up, have a nice trip and don't forget to fill us in when you get back...